New to the board and game this year...loving every minute of it. I try to go out to the field and throw as much as I can, and I have run in to this problem...I get 250-300when i connect well, and my shoulder has been killing me for a few days...I have read this thread, and I think I just had an epiphany.

My background in sports is hockey, baseball, lacrosse, golf...alot of the same bio-mechanical ideas, snapping a towel, etc. comes pretty easy to me, but i could not for the life of me get a good rip off...a few days ago I got one 426' amongst all my 250-300 drives, yet I could not duplicate it...damn it felt good.

"pulling the disc" through the power range led me down a wrong path...I just realized that my grip location is on the side of the disc facing the target, all the way through the throw, when i should be gripping the disc 45 degrees away from my body, on the opposite side of the disc, would this be robbing me of the power? I felt like my body mechanics were good, but i could not get a good rip off...I think I have been gripping here since I started throwing...???I have been "pulling" the disc, literally...I feel like a dope...

I think what you're trying to say is that you're not "wrapping" around the disc when you do your pull back? If I am reading correctly, you're just holding it stationary and not spinning the disc any from the power zone to the hit. Meaning, you're not closing your wrist in when you get to the power zone? Think of it like this, you have a disc, and it has a groove to wrap a string like an old boat motor. You wrapped a string around it and when go to throw, your arm is the string. So when you're pulling through to the hit from the power zone, your unwrapping the disc in a sense.

Lithicon wrote:I think what you're trying to say is that you're not "wrapping" around the disc when you do your pull back? If I am reading correctly, you're just holding it stationary and not spinning the disc any from the power zone to the hit. Meaning, you're not closing your wrist in when you get to the power zone? Think of it like this, you have a disc, and it has a groove to wrap a string like an old boat motor. You wrapped a string around it and when go to throw, your arm is the string. So when you're pulling through to the hit from the power zone, your unwrapping the disc in a sense.

Right...If this is the case, it would kill my throws right? Robbing myself of "power"?

No doubt. If you are pulling from the front edge, then the only way to get any spin is to pull slightly back on the disc at the release. This is stealing forward velocity to get what probably amounts to only a small amount of spin on the disc. If you get your hand around the disc (go further than 45 degrees), you can whip the disc forward and give it spin at the same time...no backward pull is required in that case, and you can apply force effectively through the whip. Mastering this kind of motion is the key to snap.

I feel like I am lacking finishing power in my throw. I have learned to get the disc up front while keeping the arm relaxed, by slowing down after rotating 90 degrees (from position 1 to 2)but I feel like I am all arm after that, as in my body is not adding much to my throw through the power zone. I talked to some of the guys that throw pretty far at my local course who say when they swing thier arm they are using "everything" (all of thier body) to throw. So I'm guessing this is my problem?

Does rotating from position 4 to position 5 in Keltik's diagram add a lot of power/arm speed?

I think perhaps I need to face up sooner than I am. When I watch the guys who throw far at my local course they really look like they aren't swinging thier arm until they are almost faced up (picture #5 but with a little more arm bend).

Yeah, sounds like you're pausing too much in your rotation taking away from the rotation gained between pulling the disc into the power zone, and pulling it out. Which sounds exactly like I was doing when I wasn't getting my weight forward enough, and it felt like I couldn't "complete" the throw. It's probably just a bit of both, but getting your weight forward will sort of pull your body through the motion, and keeps you from pausing too long, and will help you rotate out and finish stronger.

Does rotating from position 4 to position 5 in Keltik's diagram add a lot of power/arm speed?

Hard to tell by the diagram really, but this is really where you want to accelerate your pull, which is assisted by your bodies flow as it enters the power zone. I try to let the disc flow into the power zone then like you said as I acquire my target, start to pull.

Last edited by Lithicon on Wed May 12, 2010 7:50 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I feel like I am lacking finishing power in my throw. I have learned to get the disc up front while keeping the arm relaxed, by slowing down after rotating 90 degrees (from position 1 to 2)but I feel like I am all arm after that, as in my body is not adding much to my throw through the power zone. I talked to some of the guys that throw pretty far at my local course who say when they swing thier arm they are using "everything" (all of thier body) to throw. So I'm guessing this is my problem?

Does rotating from position 4 to position 5 in Keltik's diagram add a lot of power/arm speed?

I think perhaps I need to face up sooner than I am. When I watch the guys who throw far at my local course they really look like they aren't swinging thier arm until they are almost faced up (picture #5 but with a little more arm bend).

You don't start to face up to the target until your forearm is in motion. That means elbow pauses to force the elbow open/forearm out, then while that happens, you continue to turn, your wrist starts to open, you pull hard and continue to pull through the finish.

You want to pull about 45 degrees before your target through 45 degrees past your target. That's the pull/finish zone.

While it looks like the players are facing up at release, the actual power of the throw is started before that.

Quick question. ..do we have a video posted that is basically showing the steps of the diagram? I went out for some field practice Saturday and I pulled a muscle. Aka, I was doing it the old way on a couple throws.

The diagram makes sense, but I'm one of those ppl that need someone to show me in order for it to register in my head. So, a video would help a lot.

I've finally finished reading this thread. Thank God. Lol. We could really use all of the helpful posts consolidated into one primer I think.

Ok, so I have to give an update. I recently got back into the game after two years off. I was throwing about 350' max consistently and had HORRIBLE form (I was strong arming to the max.) I read and watched everything that was out there. I incorporated (or at least tried) the information I saw, but still couldn't get much over 400' or 425' on occasion. I was stumped.

Then I had some friends who can get 550' to 600'+ help me out. They said one thing--reach back further. As soon as I did, I broke 500' (star katana)! I couldn't believe it and still can't! Average golf line is now 475' or so and I think I can max closer to 550' once I get my form down and practice more. (My friends say that I'm still not reaching back all the way and have at least another 50-75' in my reach.)

Now I'm throwing PREDATORS (yes, predators!) on drives that would normally take my max D drivers (up to 360' or so)! I just want those who are reading this to know that it's possible to throw this far. Don't give up! Keep working and become almost obsesssed with getting it. You will. It's just like they say--it's an "A ha!" moment that has to happen.

Daniel

My putter doinks harder than yours!

Z Pred~E*Boss~E*TB~Roadrunner~Fuse~Buzzz~Comet~Aviar

Frank Delicious wrote:I try to psyche people out on my card. I usually do this by getting nude around the 4th hole.

Its funny, but this is also one of the things that gave me a big boost in distance. One day I just got really angry, and when I reached back, I reached back all the way until I could feel the muscles in my back at their maximum stretch (especially the ones below my shoulder blade), and I made sure I felt this before beginning my pull. Et voila. I threw my Destroyer 370'. And next my Champion Boss went the same distance.

Every time I go for max distance, I always reach back until I feel that muscle stretched, and on the pull through I really go for the feeling of pulling off my index and middle finger tips on the inside of the rim and whipping the disc forward with spin.

I'm still only scraping around 400' when I'm throwing well...and I think I have become quite good at the full reach back method. But for me to go further, the bent elbow is calling...I think a shortened motion with even more leverage applied to the pivot point of my index and middle finger tips is the way to go, and indeed the distance will eventually come. For the last 2.5 years I've been playing, I've been throwing farther and farther and farther, and I don't expect that to stop for a while!